In conversation with Marleen Steffen
One A.Hak, one document system
Collaboration is not just a good habit; it has become a requirement
Collaboration is not just a good habit; it has also become a requirement for A.Hak. A.Hak recognizes that a modern management system is essential for the company.
Marleen Steffen, QEM coordinator at A.Hak, explains how the company is committed to an HMS system that contributes to properly informing employees, staying up-to-date together, and preparing audits in the right way. The new HMS (A.Hak Management System) encourages shared responsibility for good business operations.
Since 2020, Marleen has been addressing safety, quality, and environmental issues, dealing with audits, and is part of the QEM core team. Marleen is the project leader for this document management project: Review and redesign of HMS.
She emphasizes that the new approach will significantly improve the quality of documents and that we will focus more than now on reducing layers in various documents, accessible language, uniformity, and good findability of current documents. Especially the latter is what A.Hak employees are asking for.
HMS, what is that?
HMS stands for A.Hak Management System. It is the description of how we work and are organized within A.Hak, the system helps us achieve our objectives as a company. The HMS shows that all departments are connected to each other and that together we secure and connect processes sustainably and safely. Every (new) employee can find their way around how A.Hak works through this HMS, you will soon see at a glance how departments and processes are organized and you can also easily find recorded agreements.
Marleen: “Collaboration must also be continuously emphasized at management level. As the QEM department, we set up the system and inform all stakeholders. As management, you emphasize to the teams what kind of behavior we need to make the system a success.”
Four core objectives: Current documents, ownership, convenience and efficiency
These objectives form the guideline for the various steps the company takes with this new system. The approach ensures that A.Hak is continuously stimulated to work efficiently and keep doing better. Marleen: “In the new system, only the latest version of a document will be accessible. The document owner ensures currency and alignment with practice. Also, documents can no longer be edited live by all employees. This ensures current and accurate documents when executing processes, but also during audits and tenders. We also understand that people still maintain familiar behavior. Downloading documents and working in personal folders will never be completely prevented. Although this is a company rule, the latest versions are in the new HMS. In the new system, everyone can pin their favorite documents.”
“Our new colleagues can also find their way more easily here. With one click on the ‘My documents’ button, you’ll soon be on your own page. Now people often search long for documents and find outdated pieces or documents from other departments. With the new dashboard, you can find your information in different ways in one clear overview. Much more convenient.”
Automatic document management saves time
The new system is set up so that document owners are automatically responsible from the system for updating documents. After verification by QEM or internal knowledge carriers, you authorize and release the documents, after which they are immediately available live for all colleagues. Change management also happens automatically.
Example: Does a company name or job title change? Then we adjust this once in the administrator side. The system automatically adjusts this in all our (MS Office) documents. This ensures uniformity and saves an enormous amount of time with an organizational change, a new technical term, or an adjustment in a standard.
Sustainable connection
“Our slogan is sustainable connection. This is how we connect cables and pipes outside with each other and together we all connect to each other. As the QEM department, we set up the system with the information that the contact points in the working groups provide about their processes. These colleagues are experts in their field after all. As management, you emphasize to the teams what kind of behavior we need to make the new HMS a success. With good document management, we want to communicate and share as much as possible.”
“Efficiently achieving goals, because time is our biggest challenge.”
Time and staffing are scarce, efficient working is an important issue in all departments. Marleen: “I realize well that integrating such a system and updating current documentation also requires time from colleagues. Especially in this development phase. Document management and a current HMS is not something you can tackle as an individual or as one department. Processes and procedures from one department affect the other. We are all a crucial link in this transition to one HMS. Not only in making it current, but also in keeping it current.”
